North Bay Nuggethttps://www.nugget.ca
Sat, 19 Jan 2019 07:52:16 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8North Bay supporters march in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en First Nationhttps://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/north-bay-supporters-march-in-solidarity-with-wetsuweten-first-nation
https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/north-bay-supporters-march-in-solidarity-with-wetsuweten-first-nation#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 21:33:03 +0000https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/north-bay-supporters-march-in-solidarity-with-wetsuweten-first-nationA solidarity march and round dance took place in North Bay Monday afternoon in support of members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation.

The event, North Bay Solidarity with Unist’ot’en, Peaceful Protest, saw about 50 people, some drumming and singing, march to the North Bay Courthouse from the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre.

It was held in support of members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation who are opposed to a natural gas pipeline in their territory in northern British Columbia. Wet’suwet’en members set up checkpoints in the last few weeks to stop Coastal GasLink workers from accessing forest service roads on their traditional territory. Fourteen people were arrested at one of the checkpoints recently, sparking rallies across the country.

]]>https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/north-bay-supporters-march-in-solidarity-with-wetsuweten-first-nation/feed0Canadians' insolvency risks rising with interest rateshttps://www.nugget.ca/news/national/canadians-insolvency-risks-rising-with-interest-rates
https://www.nugget.ca/news/national/canadians-insolvency-risks-rising-with-interest-rates#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 20:20:21 +0000https://www.nugget.ca/news/national/canadians-insolvency-risks-rising-with-interest-ratesCALGARY — The number of Canadians who are $200 or less away from financial insolvency at month-end has jumped to 46 per cent, up from 40 per cent in the previous quarter, as interest rates rise, according to a new poll. A survey conducted for insolvency firm MNP Ltd. in December also found that 31 per cent of Canadians say they don’t make enough to cover their bills and debt payments, up seven per cent from the September poll. The results released Monday also indicated that 51 per cent of respondents say they are feeling the pinch of interest rate increases, up from 45 per cent a quarter ago. “Many have so little wiggle room that any increase in living costs or interest payments can tip them over the edge,” said MNP’s president Grant Bazian in a statement. “That’s what we are seeing happen right now.” As well, 45 per cent of those surveyed say they will need to go further into debt to pay their living and family expenses. Canadians’ finances have come under increased pressure after the Bank of Canada introduced five rate hikes since mid-2017, in response to the stronger economy. Central bank governor Stephen Poloz kept his benchmark interest rate unchanged earlier this month at 1.75 per cent, but has signalled that more rate increases will still be necessary “over time.” MNP’s latest survey also showed that half of Canadians surveyed said they believe they could be in financial trouble if rates continue to rise, up five per cent from the previous poll. “Higher interest rates combined with household expenses that outweigh income mean that some are unable to make any kind of meaningful reduction in their debt and, in fact, continue to take on more especially if they encounter unexpected expenses,” Bazian said. Insolvency concerns rose across the country, with the exception of Atlantic Canadians, said MNP. Saskatchewan and Manitoba residents were the most likely to be near insolvency, at 56 per cent, up eight per cent from the previous poll, MNP said. Alberta residents were second at 48 per cent, up eight points. Ontario and Quebec followed at 46 per cent each, up six per cent and five per cent, respectively. Among residents surveyed in Atlantic Canada, 45 per cent said they were $200 or less away from the financial brink, but that marked a decrease of four per cent from the September survey. Ipsos, which conducts the quarterly poll for MNP, surveyed 2,154 Canadians online from Dec. 7 to Dec. 12. The polling industry’s professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
]]>https://www.nugget.ca/news/national/canadians-insolvency-risks-rising-with-interest-rates/feed0Nursing home system ‘in crisis’https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/nursing-home-system-in-crisis
https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/nursing-home-system-in-crisis#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 19:50:28 +0000https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/nursing-home-system-in-crisisOntario’s long-term care system is in crisis and failing those who rely on it.

That was the message delivered Monday with the release of Situation Critical, a report prepared by the Ontario Health Coalition that outlines the shortcomings of the current system.

“It is shocking. Unacceptable,” how residents of long-term care facilities are cared for,” Ann McIntyre, of the OHC, said in a presentation in North Bay. “This situation can no longer be ignored.”

McIntyre pointed to short-staffing, more need and chronic underfunding by the province as the major issues that have combined to weaken the system.

McIntyre said short-staffing is so common “we see it daily on almost every shift,” with increasing violence against caregivers and other residents in long-term care facilities.

Ontario’s long-term care facilities now have about 80,000 residents. There are another 33,000 on wait lists. In the North Bay area, there are about 700 people on wait lists for long-term care beds.

The province now ranks second last in Canada for the number of long-term beds, while the number of beds has been cut. Funding for long-term care beds is approximately one-third what is received for chronic or complex care beds in hospitals.

“Levels of care are now too low to meet basic needs” of residents, McIntyre said.

Over the last five years, she said, there have been 27 homicides in Ontario long-term care facilities, seven in the last year alone, which is, per capita, eight times higher than the national homicide rate.

The provincial government has promised to increase the number of long-term beds by 30,000 over the next decade, with 15,000 to be added over the next five years.

The report notes that “planning, care levels, regulation and resourcing of long-term care have not kept pace with population aging and patient offloading.”

The report says long-term care homes in Ontario “have extraordinary levels of occupancy and acuity. Access to care is gravely inadequate. Waitlists are longer than the entire population of a medium-sized town in Ontario.”

Blanche-Helen Tremblay first became involved with long-term care seven years ago, when both her parents were admitted to homes.

“I was lucky,” Tremblay says. “There was almost no wait time” for them to be admitted.

But what she found, she said, is that staffing is so inadequate that family members or personal support workers hired by the families are needed to provide much of a family member’s care.

It was not unusual, she said, for three staff members to be responsible for 72 or more residents overnight, or for two staff members to help 18 residents with things like toileting or getting up and dressed in the morning.

In most cases, Peggy Smith, a former personal support worker said, the staff can only devote 10 minutes or less to each resident to get them out of bed, get them dressed, help them brush their teeth.

“I can’t do all that in 10 minutes,” she said.

Only a small percentage – perhaps 15 per cent of residents, she said – have family members visiting daily to help their family members get through the day.

The majority, Tremblay said, “depend entirely on staff for all their needs – physical, social or mental.”

On top of that, she said, between 75 and 80 per cent of long-term care facilities suffer to some degree from dementia.

“This needs to be fixed right away, not in 10 years,” she said.

Smith has seen the situation from two sides, both as a family member and as a personal support worker for more than a quarter of a century.

Staffing levels have been cut as the needs of the residents has been growing, she said, with residents “in frailer condition and with more complex needs than ever before.”

The fault, they said, is not with the workers or administration in long-term care facilities who “do their very best” to ensure residents receive adequate care.

Monday’s release was one of 30 being held across the province between now and Feb. 5 to draw attention to the issue.

In the first game the Trappers played the Massachusetts Bruins. A complete team game assured a seven to zero victory. Emma Nadeau was in nets for the shutout.

In the second game, the Trappers faced the Chambly Remparts winning four to two with goaltender Ben Rivert claiming the win.

The Trappers played the young Ottawa East team in the third game match-up claiming a 7-0 victory. The win assured the Trappers a birth in the finals. Emma Nadeau was in nets for the shutout.

On Sunday morning the Trappers faced off against the Chambly Remparts again for the Championship.

The Trappers opened the scoring in the second period with a pass from Lucien Landriault to Riley Brunet for a breakaway goal. The Remparts battled hard and the tied the game 1-1.

In the third period, the Trappers were on a penalty kill when Trapper’s captain Landriault intercepted a pass and broke free for a shorthanded goal.

The Remparts pulled their goalie with two minutes remaining in the third period.

The Trappers started the four-on-four sudden death overtime with their two captains, Lucien Landriault and Teo Ryan and Zederick Fortin and Spencer Boulet on defense.

Ryan scored 30 seconds into overtime.

Emma Nadeau was in nets for the championship game.

Head coach Rob Landriault said that a renewed focus on team play allowed the team to enjoy success this weekend and the whole season. Coach Landriault is very proud of his team’s conduct on and off the ice.

]]>https://www.nugget.ca/sports/hockey/trappers-win-montreal-tourney-in-ot/feed0Ice Boltz beat Sudbury in final to claim goldhttps://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/ice-boltz-beat-sudbury-in-final-to-claim-gold
https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/ice-boltz-beat-sudbury-in-final-to-claim-gold#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 19:32:48 +0000https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/ice-boltz-beat-sudbury-in-final-to-claim-goldThe North Bay Ice Boltz Midget BB team competed in the Cambridge Road Runners Challenge Cup last weekend and returned with gold.

The Boltz won six hard fought games on their way to the podium.

The semifinals on Sunday morning had the Ice Boltz matched up with the Lakeshore Lightning while the Lindsay Lynx met the Sudbury Lady Wolves. Sudbury won 3-0 and the Ice Boltz advanced with a 4-2 victory over the Lightning.

It was a Northern final – Sudbury versus North Bay.

Sudbury scored on a power play jumping ahead 1-0.

North Bay managed to get a redirect of their own to finally get the puck past the Sudbury goalie. Jaye Harrington took the point shot with Jenna Faulkner getting a stick on it to tip it high into the opponents net, a buzzer beater as the first period expired.

With less than a minute left Hannah Desrosier crossed the blue line, toe-dragged the puck to elude the Sudbury defender and fired a shot, All three Ice Boltz forwards went hard to the goal crease to find the rebound, Desrosiers was able to scoop it up and send it home with 57 seconds remaining in the game.

]]>https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/ice-boltz-beat-sudbury-in-final-to-claim-gold/feed0Two men charged in Ivory Coast for trying to blackmail MP Tony Clementhttps://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/two-men-charged-in-ivory-coast-for-trying-to-blackmail-mp-tony-clement
https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/two-men-charged-in-ivory-coast-for-trying-to-blackmail-mp-tony-clement#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 19:32:16 +0000https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/two-men-charged-in-ivory-coast-for-trying-to-blackmail-mp-tony-clementOTTAWA — Two men in Africa’s Ivory Coast have been charged for attempting to blackmail Parry Sound—Muskoka MP Tony Clement by posing as a woman online and demanding money after Clement shared explicit sexual images with them.

RCMP have confirmed the two men arrested by the Ivory Coast’s cyber-crimes unit recently were charged in connection with Clement’s case.

In November, Clement asked the RCMP to investigate after he admitted to sending sexually explicit images to what he believed was a “consenting female,” but later learned was an online account being run by “foreign actors” trying to extort him for 50,000 euros.

Clement was booted from the Conservative caucus in November after admitting to having had inappropriate online relationships with more than one woman.

The suspects in the extortion case against Clement and one other alleged victim are being identified by Ivory Coast officials only by the initials CH and DML.

Information published by the African police agency says the two suspects have been questioned, and the RCMP says it continues to work with international partners on the case.

Police say the 49-year-old man was bought to hospital by ambulance. His condition was not released.

OPP charged, Luke Clouthier, 30, of East Ferris Township with aggravated assault. He has a date to attend the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay Feb. 12.

The investigation is continuing and police are asking anyone with information regarding this assault to contact the North Bay OPP at (705) 495-3878 or toll free at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can also submit information online at www.nearnorthcrimestoppers.com. Being anonymous, you will not be required to testify in court and information you provide may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.

]]>https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/astorville-assault-leaves-man-unconscious/feed0Motorists still not stopping for school buses – Rangerhttps://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/mattawa-man-launches-school-bus-campaign-in-memory-of-his-brother
https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/mattawa-man-launches-school-bus-campaign-in-memory-of-his-brother#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 18:50:21 +0000https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/mattawa-man-launches-school-bus-campaign-in-memory-of-his-brotherPierre Ranger will never forget the sight of his brother lying on the cold highway with the school bus driver’s coat covering his small lifeless body.

The older brother of Adam Ranger says his life changed Feb. 11, 2000. Adam was killed when a motorist failed to stop for the school bus and struck the five-year-old as he was crossing Highway 17 in front of his home in Mattawa.

“Adam’s death tore the family apart and flipped everyone’s lives upside down,” Ranger told The Nugget Monday. “You can never get over it, you just learn to live with it, but it’s not easy.”

It’s been 19 years since Ranger lost his brother, however little has changed when it comes to motorists stopping for school buses.

His family initiated the Let’s Remember Adam campaign a few years after the blonde-haired kindergarten student was struck and killed, however Ranger wants to continue to push the message until changes are made.

Ranger launched the “This Has to Stop. We Need to Stop!” campaign on Adam’s birthday – January 12. Adam would have been 24.

This initiative calls on the public to help spread Adam’s safety message.

“I don’t think it’s gotten better. When we can go a solid week without an incident then I would say things are improving,” Ranger said.

“There’s been a ton of support through this entire campaign, however I hear about it weekly (motorists not stopping for school buses). I see dash cam videos with four or five cars driving by school buses with their lights flashing.”

He said he’s heard all of the excuses motorists give police officers as to why they didn’t stop for the school bus.

“The kid was getting off the curb side and the motorist didn’t think there was any danger or there’s others who say they never saw the bus.”

Ranger said the reason why he’s putting this extra push on is because five children were killed within two weeks in the U.S. in October.

“Every week we’re hearing of more and more incidents. I honestly don’t believe enough is being done. There is new technology, stop arm camera technology, that can be used which is similar to photo radar.”

He said currently if a motorist passes through a stopped school bus with its lights flashing it’s up to the bus driver to acquire enough information to allow the police to lay a charge.

“Bus drivers need to be watching the kids and often times don’t have enough time to get the information that is required. Then they feel personally responsible, because a charge couldn’t be laid because they didn’t acquire enough information.”

Ranger said it’s also difficult for bus drivers to get a license plate number during the winter months, however stop arm camera technology would alleviate that pressure.

He said dash cameras have been installed on several buses that were donated through Let’s Remember Adam campaign and community business owners.

“A friend who lives two houses down from us says school buses constantly deal with motorists running through their lights. Thankfully no children cross Highway 17 along the stretch from Mattawa to the Mattawa Golf Course, they get off curbside.”

Ranger said hopefully the public awareness that is being done will prevent another family from going through a similar tragedy.

“I was just 18-years-old at the time. I was working part-time at the local grocery store and I had just arrived for my shift. My dad was working there too and he received a call from my mother that there was an accident involving Adam,” he said.

“Dad told me he had to run home because Adam was hit crossing the highway. I thought Adam was going to be fine until an ambulance went flying by. My co-worker asked if I wanted a ride home. The highway was blocked so she drove the vehicle on the shoulder. I got out and walked up to the police officer who stopped me as I approached the bus.”

Ranger said his dad told him his brother had died.

“He was still lying on the road. Adam was covered up with the bus driver’s jacket so kid’s wouldn’t see his body. When I got there all I seen was that blue jacket.”

Ranger said his brother Alex witnessed the tragedy.

“Alex could see the vehicle wasn’t going to stop and he tried to reach for Adam’s backpack, but he just couldn’t get it in time.”